Mulchtech/Vinetech and Merlo

Merlo’s TreEmme offers Mulchtech more diversity.

Merlo is a relatively new brand for South Australian-based companies Mulchtech Australia and Vinetech Machinery. For Director Ben Stephen, adding the brand to the company’s catalogue has been a good move.

Mulchtech and its sister company Vinetech were established in 2010 with branches in the Barossa Valley and Renmark, South Australia. Mulchtech deals with machinery relating primarily to forestry and agricultural work, while Vinetech specialises mostly in viticulture and orchard machinery.

The companies’ websites point out they both ‘…strive to have the finest equipment readily available, allowing you to make purchases without enduring months of delays’.

A year or two ago the companies began offering Merlo equipment, and as Director Ben Stephen pointed out, “They’re European machines, and generally European stuff’s very reliable.”

Service

While Ben’s happy with the Merlo’s telehandlers on the Vinetech side of the business, the TReEmme is kicking some big goals with Mulchtech. Ben had just made a sale and was fairly confident of another in the not-too-distant future, and he was very clear about the reasons why.

“They have good engines,” he told The Australian Arbor Age. “They have a Deutz Tier 3 engine, which is a super-reliable motor, and they’re very fuel-efficient. That’s key these days while fuel costs are through the roof,” he pointed out, and before we could ask anything else he continued: “They’re easy to navigate for operators, and very easy to control. Maintenance is great, and everything’s in a good spot for servicing. We don’t get mechanics being frustrated.”

We jumped in while Ben was thinking and asked about the service from Merlo.

“We haven’t really done a lot of training with Merlo yet,” the South Aussie told us, “but so far the response has been good. Any time there’s an issue they’re onto it. They see us at every field day they go to, and they call in, so there’s good communication so far. Parts they haven’t had in stock have been airbagged quickly, which is good.

“No dramas there at all,” he concluded.

TreEmme

Ben has plenty of experience with heavy machinery of all kinds, and even with other brands and mulchers within his companies. We wondered what set the Merlo TreEmme apart.

“We’re importing and distributing Australia-wide,” the very busy Director explained, “and with the TreEmme we’re obviously trying to promote a tractor platform. We do have other options, but at moment, in certain situations, the TreEmme is a more suitable machine.

“There’s a section of owners who’d buy, for instance, an $800,000 or $900,000, purpose-built mulching-tractor package they can only use for three months. They can only do one job with it: mulch material.

“With the TreEmme we already have three different mulching heads for one machine we sold, and we have stone crushers and bigger flails – out to six metres – on the way. So by this time next year we’ll have at least five different mulching heads for the one tractor platform.

“For corporates it means when they’re going to spend $800,000, they’ll be able to use the machine for nine months of the year, not three months.”

The Merlo TreEmee allows Mulchtech to work more consistently throughout the year.
The TreEmme offers more diversity for operators who want to multifunction and use that tractor for more throughout the year.

On the move

Another facet of the TreEmme which Ben highlighted is the unit’s transport capability.

“In forestry the road speed’s a big thing,” Ben underlined. “The TreEmme’s not a which has to go on a truck trailer. It can travel from one site to another on its own, ready to work”.

As we listened and contemplated how this story might look, Ben did a great deal of the work for us.

“It’s more just key features,” he said, proceeding to list them:
• Fuel consumption
• Quality motor
• Ease of operator use
• Comfort
• Quiet in the cab, and
• Good vision.

“I mean,” he said, “It’s pretty much just dot-point stuff. But those dot points are what sells the machine.”

We couldn’t agree more.

See more of the TreEmme and Merlo machinery at merlo.com, and Mulchtech at mulchtech.com.au.

Send this to a friend